Starrie: *munching happily on godiva chocolate covered strawberries* yummy!! Yummy yum yum!!!
Evil Starrie: *sigh* don't mind her...her onii-chan brought her a whole box of chocolate covered strawberries and she's been pigging out for the past 5 min. *glares at Starrie* she's such a greedy little pig she hasn't even offered me one!
Starrie: but you know how much I LOVE godiva chocolate and strawberries!! Put them together and they become irresistible to me!! *reaches in box for another strawberry but the box is empty*
Evil Starrie: HAHA!!
Starrie: *teary eyed* nooooo...they're gone!!!
Evil Starrie: good, then you can start...typing!!!
Starrie: *starts giggling like crazy and spinning in her chair* okayzies!!!
Evil Starrie: oh god no...she's on a sugar high...damn onii-chan! He shouldn't have given her chocolate!!!
Starrie: *pushes Evil Starrie out of the way* me gonna start typing, you go get me coffee!! *smiles at readers while she bobs around in her chair* thank you so much for all the positive feedback for the last chapter!! I was sooooooo happy you all liked it!!! oh and thank you SOOOOOO much for everyone that put me on their favorite list. I have a total of 96!! That's so amazing, thank you all!!!
Evil Starrie: *evil grin* haha...you know, if you switch those numbers around they turn out to read... *gets whacked in the head by Starrie*
Starrie: *shakes head* perverted freak!!
Learning To Love
Chapter 9
Sakura closed her eyes and let out a long deep breath. She was nervous, there was no doubt about that. the mansion, that stood in front of her was huge and she could feel her muscles tensing up with anticipation.
'will his family like me? oh god, please let me make a good impression....I hope his sisters don't give me a hard time...what if his mom doesn't like me? ohmigosh what if she completely hates me! oh no, I can't go through this!'
"Syaoran, maybe this isn't such a good idea, what if your family doesn't like me a-a-and I don't want to make a bad impression what if--"
"sshhhh"
Syaoran silenced Sakura as he placed a small kiss on her lips and gave her a gentle smile.
"It's okay, my family will adore you, I promise"
he said to her as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. At that same moment, the door swung open and four squealing girls came out and tackled Syaoran to the ground much to Sakura's and Syaoran's surprise.
"in case you haven't figured it out, that stampede of females happened to be Syaoran's sisters"
Meiling said as she came up next to Sakura, giggling.
"awwww...my poor Syaoran"
Sakura said with a small laugh as she watched Syaoran who at the moment felt like a caged animal. As soon as the four women heard Sakura's voice they all became silent and turned to look at her. then out of no where, they seemed to forget about Syaoran and were suddenly surrounding Sakura.
"oh she's so cute!"
"little brother has good taste!"
"aww...look at her eyes!"
"she has such pretty hair!"
"umm...hi?"
Sakura said timidly as she looked at all four girls who were hugging her
"aww...she sounds so cute too!!"
"girls, step aside. Give our guest some room to breathe"
A tall woman with long ebony colored hair said in a calm tone as she stood at the entrance of the mansion. Sakura suddenly became really nervous as she gazed at the women in front of her. She looked extremely serious.
"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Sakura Kinomoto"
Sakura said in a polite voice as she bowed respectfully in front of Yelan. Yelan couldn't help but smile as she came up to Sakura. there was something about this girl that she liked. She could tell right away that she was perfect for her son.
"nice to meet you Sakura. I'm Yelan Li, Syaoran's mother"
Yelan said as she came forward and much to everyone's surprise embraced Sakura tightly. Sakura was shocked at first but then relaxed and hugged her back.
'Maybe things won't be so bad afterall'
She thought to herself with a smile on her face.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(That night)
Sakura sat in front of a mirror in her room brushing her hair slowly. Her mind slowly drifted back to the person she had seen at the airport the other day
'Larry...was it really him?'
she asked herself silently as she placed the brush ontop of the table and stared at her complexion.
'It couldn't be him...and even if it is, it shouldn't matter! He's nothing, he was the past! Syaoran's my future.'
Thinking about Syaoran brought a smile upon Sakura's face. Whenever she was with him, all her problems seemed to go away. she could almost say that she...loved him? Sakura's smile disappeared as that sudden thought settled deeper into her mind. Could she really love him? Was it possible that...
'I do love him...he means the world to me'
Sakura thought as she picked up a picture frame where it showed Sakura and Syaoran hugging each other.
'If I love Syaoran though...why can't I seem to forget Larry?'
she thought to herself as she looked away from the picture. She heard a knock on her door and nearly jumped from the noise.
"Sakura? are you awake? It's Syaoran"
"yes, come in"
Sakura said as she turned to look at the doorway. Syaoran stepped in and smiled at her as he closed the door behind him.
"I just wanted to say good night before I went to bed"
he stated as he came up to her and placed a light kiss on her lips.
"Sakura, is something wrong? Ever since we arrived from Japan you look like something's bothering you. is there anything I can do?"
Sakura shook her head and took hold of his hand,
"It's okay, I'm fine. I guess I was just a little stressed about whether or not your family would accept me"
Syaoran smiled at her and let out laugh,
"You don't have to worry about that anymore. As you can see, my mom and sister all adore you"
"your family's great...I don't understand why you ever wanted to leave them to go to Japan"
Sakura said with a smile. Syaoran's grin disappeared and he avoided her gaze.
"I had other reasons...to leave"
Sakura noticed the sudden change of Syaoran mood and couldn't help but feel a bit curious. What had happened that had caused him to want to get away from all of this?
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked"
Syaoran turned to look at her once more and sighed,
"well, I'm going to go to sleep. I just wanted to say good night and ask if you want to go to the Christmas carnival tomorrow. My sisters and Meiling wouldn't stop bugging me until I promised that I would ask you"
Sakura giggled,
"are they coming too?"
"yes..."
Syaoran gave her a sly grin,
"but we can always try to ditch them"
Sakura gave him a mischievous grin and nodded her head in agreement.
"that should be fun. Alright then, to the carnival we go tomorrow morning!"
"I'll see you then. Good night Sakura. I'm just across the hallway so if you need anything, just knock."
"alright, good night Syaoran"
Sakura said with a smile as she walked him towards the door and closed the door behind him. she walked back to her bed with a smile,
'I should tell him...that I love him'
she thought to herself as she drifted off into sleep...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"oh wow, how pretty!"
Sakura stated as she stared at the carnival that stretched over a vast field.
"they got a really big roller coaster too, you wanna go on it Sakura?"
Meiling asked excitedly.
"They do!? Great, I wanna go on it!! Syaoran you'll go with me right?"
Sakura asked with a pout on her face as she held Syaoran's hand.
"hehehe...me? go on that thing? No thanks, I'll pass"
Syaoran said with a nervous laugh as he pointed at the roller coaster that came into view.
"oh come on little brother, you have to go with your cherry blossom!!"
"yeah! You can't let her down!"
"stop being a wimp!"
"be a man!"
Syaoran turned towards his sisters and gave them all a glare.
"we love you baby brother!"
"we don't care if you're a wimp, you're still our favorite!"
"yeah, your kawaii cherry blossom will still love you no matter what"
"and so will we!"
Futtie, Femei, Fanren and Xiefa all said, their voices dripping with sweetness as they smiled at their brother.
"you see why I moved to Japan?"
Syaoran said to Sakura as he leaned back on his seat.
"Don't get so comfy, we're here!"
Meiling said as the limo driver came to a stop in front of the entrance of the carnival....
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Meiling...can we please go home?"
Syaoran said as nicely as possible from the mountain of stuffed animals he was carrying. The had already been at the carnival for nearly 4 hours and Syaoran hadn't had a chance to spend not even one minute alone with Sakura.
"in a little while, just a few more rides"
She called back with a small smile. Sakura who was walking next to Syaoran looked at him apologetically and Syaoran in return gave her a pleading look. Sakura giggled and winked at him,
"Meiling, I'm hungry is it okay if I steal Syaoran away for a little while? we'll be back in a little while"
she said as she walked up next to Meiling and Syaoran's sisters. Meiling smiled at Sakura and nodded,
"I was wondering when one of you were gonna say something, geez it took you that long! Of course you can go off on your own!"
Sakura blushed and Syaoran tried to remain calm. If Sakura weren't here, he probably would've murdered Meiling by now for making him go through all that unnecessary torture.
"come on, let's go Syaoran"
Sakura said sweetly as she handed the stuffed animal to Meiling and dragged Syaoran away before he could throw a fit.
"want to go on the ferris wheel?"
Sakura asked as she took hold of his hand and pointed towards a large ferris wheel.
"sure"
Syaoran said as he walked up to the booth and handed two tickets to the man in charge of the ride. He opened the door of the ride for Sakura and after she was seated, he sat down next to her.
"you're not scared of ferris wheels are you?"
Sakura asked jokingly as she remembered the scene from earlier that day when Meiling forced Syaoran to go on a roller coaster with all the girls.
"what? Now you're making fun of me too?"
Syaoran asked as he pretended to look hurt.
"of course not"
Sakura said with a giggle as she leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek. She leaned her head against his shoulder and Syaoran wrapped his arms around her waist as they went up into the air.
"The scenery is beautiful from here"
Sakura said once they had reached the top. Syaoran didn't respond and simply nodded his head in agreement. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in her light scent of jasmine. He reopened his eyes and stared at the horizon, a smile slowly formed on his lips
"Wow, I forgot how beautiful the sunset is. I haven't watched a sunset since..."
Syaoran bit his lip and tore his eyes away from the setting sun. the last time he had ever seen a sunset had been with Heather.
"since when?"
Sakura asked curiously as she looked at him. Syaoran looked at her and gave her a small smile,
"since I moved to Japan...I haven't had time since I spend all my time at the office"
"well, from now on that's all going to change. I'm going to make sure that you watch sunsets regularly!"
Sakura said with a smile on her face. Syaoran couldn't help but smile upon hearing her words and turned to give her a kiss.
"Syaoran...I have something to tell you"
Sakura said as she broke away from the kiss, a small blush coloring her cheeks.
"yes?"
Syaoran asked curiously.
"I wanted to tell you that I...I..."
Sakura felt her heart race and her breath quicken.
'it's now or never, say it!'
She told herself mentally.
"you...?"
Syaoran asked, encouraging her to continue.
"I...lo—aahh!!"
The ride had started to head downwards and had suddenly jerked forward, catching Sakura by surprise and causing her to fall off her seat and onto the ground.
"Sakura! are you okay!?"
Syaoran said in alarm as he jumped out of his seat and helped Sakura up to her feet.
"Yeah, I'm fine...I just lost my balance"
Sakura said as she took a seat once again
'god that was embarrassing'
she thought as she felt her face burn. She didn't even have to look at herself to know she was red.
"I wonder why the ride stopped"
Syaoran wondered out loud as he got up from his seat and looked out through the window.
"Syaoran, sit down. It's not safe to be--"
Without thinking it twice, Syaoran got close to the window and suddenly, the ride jerked forward causing Syaoran to bump his head against the window at full force. Sakura winced as she watched Syaoran's head go forward and then watched him stagger back.
"standing"
she muttered in a barely audible voice.
"are you okay?"
She asked worriedly as she took his hand and led him back to his seat. Syaoran nodded but his hand was covering his forehead and his eyes were tightly shut.
"Syaoran...let me see"
Sakura said as she gently pried his hand away from his forehead. As soon as she saw the bump her eyes widened.
"Does it look bad?"
Syaoran asked as he looked at Sakura expectantly.
"umm...let's just say Meiling won't let you live it down"
"that bad huh?"
"Unfortunately...yes"
A small giggle then escaped Sakura's lips and Syaoran looked at her somewhat surprised.
"you're laughing at me aren't you?"
Syaoran asked, trying to look hurt. Sakura bit her lip and shook her head.
"no, of course not. It's just that I never thought a ferris wheel could be so dangerous until today."
"well, if anyone ever tells us that a ferris wheel is the safest ride in a carnival, we'll be able to argue that one"
Syaoran said with a smile on his face. Sakura giggled and nodded.
"you and I are both living proof"
the ride then came to a full stop as it reached floor level. Once they were sure the ride had stopped Sakura and Syaoran got up and stepped out of the little cabin and onto the platform.
"had a nice ride?"
The man up front asked as the couple walked out.
"yeah...a ride in hell"
Syaoran muttered as he took hold of Sakura's hand and proceded to walk away. the man upfront could do nothing but look at the somehwhat-angry-with-a-bump-in-his-head man as he stomped away.
"hehehe, he's kidding!"
the woman who was walking by his side called out. The man in charge of the ride continued to look on as the couple disappeared with a blank expression on his face.
'I wonder what happened to him?'
He asked himself cluelessly.
(hehehe...they went on an old ferris wheel! ^.~)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I can't believe it, you actually got hurt on a ferris wheel"
Meiling said in-between giggles as she watched Sakura help Syaoran lye down on his bed with a bag of ice on his forehead.
"Meiling, I have a splitting headache, please go away"
Syaoran murmured as he kept his eyes closed. He heard four distinct giggles coming down the hallway and new immediatly who they were.
"oh god, no...not them too"
He whined. Sakura giggled and kissed his cheek,
"I'll shoo them away when they get here so you can rest okay?"
"Sakura...you're an angel"
Syaoran said as he looked up at her and kissed the top of her hand.
"aww...how cute"
Meiling said with a smile on her face.
"Meiling, This is an A B conversation, can you C your way out?"
"oh Syaoran that is so old"
"oh no!! poor little brother is in bed with a bump on his head!"
"Meiling told me he got it at the ferris wheel"
"oooh!? What was he doing in there!?!?!?"
"silly! He hit his head on the window!"
all 4 girls then burst into fits of giggles as they walked up to their brother and Sakura.
"aww...his cherry blossom is taking care of him!"
Femmei said as she hugged Sakura.
"don't worry little brother, you're still cute, even with a bump in your head!"
Xiefa said as she hugged her brother.
"I can't believe you were dumb enough to get hurt on a ferris wheel!"
Fanren said while giggling and pinching his cheeks
"that's so typical little brother though, he can be careless"
Futtie said as she came up to Syaoran and ruffled his hair.
"girls, Syaoran has a headache at the moment, why not continue this conversation in the living room?"
Sakura suggested with a smile on her face.
"aww...do we have to? We want to be here with out little brother"
Femei, Xiefa, Fanren and Futtie answered at the same time in a pleading voice.
"girls, out now!"
a voice from the door came, causing all of them to jump. Without a word, all the girls backed away from Syaoran and turned around to give their mother their sweetest smile.
"we were just leaving"
Xiefa said with a nervous smile as she quickly shuffled past her mother, followed closely by the rest of her sisters.
"Meiling?"
Yelan questioned as she looked at her niece.
"aah...yes, is that my mom calling? I think I hear her voice"
Meiling said as she got up from Syaoran's bedside and quickly made her way out the door. Yelan waited until she was sure that only the three of them were left and smiled at Sakura.
"I'm sorry, sometimes I have to be a bit harsh with my daughters or else they don't listen. I hope I didn't scare you"
"no, not at all"
Sakura said with a nervous laugh. Yelan came up to Syaoran's bed and looked down at her son, trying to surpress a giggle.
"Syaoran, I'm not even going to ask"
She said with a smile on her lips. She moved aside the ice pack and saw the bump.
"I hope it'll be gone by Christmas day"
"I hope so too"
Syaoran responded as he let out a sigh.
'perfect timing'
he thought to himself.
"well, I'm going to let you rest. You must be tired"
Yelan said with a smile as she headed towards the door.
"Good night Syaoran, goodnight Sakura"
"Good night Ms. Li"
"Good night mother"
Once Yelan had disappeared down the hallway, Sakura bent down and gave Syaoran a kiss.
"I'm a bit tired so I'm going to go to sleep too"
She said with a smile as she started to head towards the door.
"Sakura"
Syaoran called out after her.
"yes?"
Sakura asked as she looked at him curiously.
"I'm sorry we didn't get to talk back at the Ferris wheel, you didn't get a chance to tell me what was on your mind"
"oh....that"
Sakura said with a nervous laugh.
"Actually you see I uhh....this is gonna sound weird but I forgot what I was going to say"
She said as she smiled at Syaoran. for some reason, Syaoran didn't buy her excuse not even for one minute but he didn't want to push it.
"alright then, maybe some other time I guess. Good night Sakura"
"Good night"
Sakura said softly as she shut the door behind her. once the door was shut, she let out a exhaled sharply and closed her eyes.
'what's wrong with you! you should've told him!'
her mind screamed out.
'I'll tell him...on Christmas"
Sakura said with a smile on her lips. Her smile widened as she went into her room, content with the decision she had made.
"yes, Christmas will be the perfect time to tell him how I feel"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Christmas day)
(SN: I'm sorry everyone but I'm going to have to make the Christmas scene into a short scene...I meant to make it long but I've already typed too much up and I don't wanna go back and shorten other scenes ^^;; plus the important juicy stuff is still to come! ^^)
"thank you for the dress mother!"
Came Femei's voice as she hugged her mother on christmas day, nearly making the elderly woman fall to the floor.
"you're welcome dear"
Yelan said with a small laugh. She looked around at her family and her eyes finally rested on Sakura and Syaoran who were both exchanging gifts at that exact moment.
"He's in love, I can see it"
Yelan thought to herself with a content smile on her lips. It had been a long time since she had last seen her son smile or even laugh. She was so happy that Sakura had brought back the 'old' Syaoran...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura took the box Syaoran gave her and looked at him questioningly.
She opened the box and inside laid a small heart-shaped diamond on a silver chain. Sakura gasped as she held up the necklace and looked up at Syaoran.
"you should've have--"
Syaoran shushed her with a small kiss on her lips and smiled at her,
"I know I didn't have to, I wanted to"
Syaoran took the necklace from her hand and gently placed it around her neck. After he secured it, he took a step back and couldn't help but smile,
"it looks good on you"
He said, causing Sakura to blush.
"great, now I feel bad"
She said with a sigh as she looked down at her present with a frown on her face. She looked up at Syaoran, unsure.
"I hope you like my present...I wasn't sure what to get you so I went to Tomoyo for help and she suggested that I--"
"Sakura...give me a second and let me open it"
Syaoran said with a chuckle. Sakura immediately quit her rambling and looked at Syaoran nervously, trying to read his expression as he opened up his gift. Syaoran removed the wrapping paper and saw a black leather briefcase with a tag that read Daidouji designs.
"Do you like it? It's part of Tomoyo's new line of men accessories."
"It's great! how did you know that I needed a new—hey, what's this?"
Sakura blushed as Syaoran removed a dark green piece of cloth from inside the briefcase.
"It's a scarf...I made it for you. I know it's not that good but I wanted to--"
"it's perfect"
Syaoran interrupted Sakura as he wrapped it around his neck and smiled at her. he leaned forward and kissed her,
"Thank you"
he whispered as he looked into her eyes. Sakura looked into his and smiled,
"I'm glad you like it."
She said as leaned against his shoulder. Syaoran smiled and placed his arms around her waist. He had to admit, it felt nice to have Sakura this close...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(SN: sorry about the short christmas scene! .)
(5 days later)
Syaoran sat in his room, staring at the ceiling aimlessly. He didn't know why, but lately he could do nothing but think about Sakura. the time he spent with her always seemed too short and the time he spent away from her seemed to last forever.
"get a grip Syaoran, stop acting like an idiot"
He said to himself when he realized he had started to think about her all over again. Ever since Christmas day, that was all he seemed to do.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A woman with waist-length black hair stood outside the Li mansion and stopped in her tracks. She let out a sigh and shivered in the cold bitter winter air. (SN: I dunno December weather in hong kong...let's just assume it's cold ^^;;) she stuffed her hands into her black jacket and proceeded to walk forward until she reached the doorbell. She hesitated for a minute, should she ring it? Or should she just leave? She slowly withdrew her right hand out of her pocket and pressed the doorbell. Within a matter of seconds, an elderly looking man came to the door with a smile on his face.
"Hello miss may I help y--"
Wei's eyes suddenly became wide in shock and found he was unable to finish his sentence.
"Miss...misss...Hans?"
the woman who stood in front of him gave him a warm smile, her eyes forever sparkling like an ocean of blue sapphires.
"Hello Wei. Is Syaoran home?"
she asked in a soft calm voice
"yes, he is. Would you like to speak to him?"
"yes, thank you very much. oh and Wei? tell him that it's me, Heather"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"don't leave Sakura, we still have a lot more shopping to do!"
Femei whined as she held onto Sakura's arm. Sakura laughed and shook her head,
"I've had enough shopping for today, I'm beat."
"please stay a little longer, it's fun to dress you up!"
"yes, you look so cute!!!"
"ooh! Let's go to the bridal boutique so you can try on some wedding gowns!"
'what are they? Tomoyo clones!?!'
Sakura asked herself as she pried herself out of Femei's grip.
"you guys can continue shopping, I just want to go back home and rest a bit. Plus I already have my dress for tomorrow night"
"awwww....do you have to leave?"
'Meiling, where are you when I need you!!'
Sakura thought mentally as she smiled apologetically at the four girls in front of her.
"well, I should get going, bye you guys!"
Sakura said as she took a few steps back and waved at the girls.
"Sakura, wait! go to the third floor parking lot, the limo driver should be there and tell him to take you home"
"It's okay Xiefa, I prefer to walk."
Xiefa, Femei, Fuutie and Fanren exchanged looks of uncertainty. They all thought it was pretty cold outside, and if their brother found out that they had let Sakura walk home he would have their heads, all four of them. Sakura giggled at the looks they wore on their faces.
"It really is alright, I actually don't mind the cold weather. And don't worry about it, I won't tell Syaoran anything"
She answered, as if reading their minds. They turned to look at her skeptically.
"it's alright...I guess"
Fuutie answered hesitantly.
"But call us if you get lost!"
Fanren added worriedly.
"I will, bye!"
Sakura said as she waved once again and began to head back towards the Li mansion.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Inside the Li Mansion)
Heather sat in the large living room, looking around nervously, hoping that no one other then Syaoran was home. she felt uncomfortable every time she entered this place. Maybe it was because she knew that everyone here hated her. she heard approaching footsteps and nearly jumped out of her skin. When she saw Syaoran appear at the doorway, she let out a sigh of relief.
"what do you want?"
Syaoran asked coldly as he glared at her from the doorway, he made no attempt to move closer. Suddenly, he wished he hadn't decided to come downstairs.
"hello Syaoran"
Heather said as she stood up from her seat and walked towards him. Syaoran tried to continue to glare at her and remain cold but the more time he kept staring into her eyes, the more he felt his cold exterior beginning to melt.
"I heard from a friend that you came back to Hong Kong and I wanted to come by and...talk to you"
"what for? Why now?"
He asked as he looked into her eyes.
"I've been wanting to speak with you for a very long time now, it's just that you're never here in Hong Kong. You spend all your time in Japan"
"I wonder why"
Syaoran said sarcastically as he broke his gaze away from her.
"Syaoran..."
Heather looked down at her feet, feeling her eyes beginning to water.
"I'm sorry"
She whispered as she looked up once again and into his eyes.
"I'm sorry for what I did to you, it was stupid and dumb and-and-and you didn't deserve that kind of treatment. I was selfish and--"
"Syaoran, who's that?"
Came Yelan's voice from a few rooms away. Heather jumped at the sound of her voice, she was petrified of Yelan. Syaoran, already sensing Heather's uneasiness, motioned her to follow him and opened up the front door and pointed her to go outside.
"just a friend mother. I'm going out for a few minutes, I'll be back soon"
he said as he heard Yelan's footsteps heading closer. Before she could even answer him, he closed the door and led Heather away...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm sorry but...it's just that after what happened I've been terrified of your mother."
Heather said apologetically as she walked besides Syaoran. Syaoran nodded but didn't answer her as he continued to look forward. He didn't know why but they had somehow ended up in park nearby his house. The park brought back many memories from his childhood...and when he was with Heather. As if reading his mind, Heather led out a giggle and stopped walking.
"do you remember this place?"
She asked as she stood in front of a Statue that showed a couple hugging.
"no"
Syaoran answered nonchalantly as he avoided her gaze.
"Liar...you asked me out in this exact spot"
She let out another laugh, her eyes twinkling with the memory.
"You were so nervous and were stuttering like crazy"
"hey...I wasn't that nervous"
Syaoran scowled as he looked into her eyes.
"Yes you were! And after our first date when you tried to kiss me, I didn't know so I moved out of the way and you ended up bumping your head on the statue!"
Heather said while laughing.
"hey, that hurt like hell! you were just there laughing your head off while--"
Syaoran suddenly stopped and cleared his throat,
"well, so what is that we came here for? What did you want to say to me?"
Heather's laugh subsided and looked somewhat nervous,
"Syaoran...I regret what happened that day between us, I really do. After you left, it was all I could think of and I wish I could've taken it back"
"so what are you trying to say?"
Syaoran inquired.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura was cutting across a park on her way back to Syaoran's house when she suddenly stopped. To her right, there was a small patch of grass and a couple of trees and then there was another walkway, where Syaoran was standing along with another girl. She could hear the girl talking and couldn't help but hear the words,
"I never stopped loving you Syaoran"
she froze, waiting to hear what Syaoran's response would be...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Syaoran looked at Heather in pure shock. He never expected her to say that. he couldn't believe his ears, the one thing he had always hoped for had finally happened. Yet, he didn't feel as happy as he thought he'd feel He had always thought that she was the one and only person meant for him, now though, he wasn't so sure anymore.
'say something you idiot! This is what you've always wanted!!'
his mind screamed out.
"I-I-I...Don't know what to say"
Syaoran stuttered.
'uhhh...say maybe that you still love her!?'
his thoughts yelled at him.
"I...I...I"
Syaoran couldn't bring himself to say it. Something in his conscious wouldn't allow him to say it and all he seemed to be thinking about was...Sakura?
"Heather, you and I have been through a lot together. You've been by my side and always pushed me to do my best, before you nobody had ever done that. You'll always be in my heart and I do love you..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tears rushed into Sakura's eyes as she heard Syaoran say those words...the words that she longed to hear from him and the ones that she wished she could say to him. Suddenly, she couldn't help but feel like a complete idiot. She had almost told him that she loved him. She couldn't take it anymore and didn't want to hear anything else; her heart couldn't take it. She broke out into a run, not caring what people around her thought.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"but only as a friend"
(SN: *giggles* I've done worse...I told a guy I saw him as a "brother" ^^;;)
Syaoran finished his sentence as he looked into Heather's eyes. the feelings that he had once felt for her no longer existed and he felt as though his bitterness had been lifted away. it seemed as if talking to her is exactly what he needed to do in order to move on and let go of the past. Heather's eyes began to fill with tears and she blinked them away as she avoided Syaoran's gaze. She let out a bitter laugh,
"I should've seen this coming"
She said as she stared at a couple of kids playing a few feet away. she then turned to look at him and smiled,
"You must love her then?"
"huh? what?"
Syaoran said cluelessly.
"The girl you're with right now. You must love her a lot"
"how do you--"
"Syaoran, you're like an open book. I could tell you were thinking of her when I told you that I...yeah"
Syaoran chuckled,
"You know me too well"
"yeah well, it happens. I do know you for years"
"well the truth is...I don't know"
Syaoran answered truthfully.
"I think you do"
Heather said with a sad smile on her face. She then looked up at the sky so Syaoran wouldn't see her sapphire eyes filling with tears all over again.
"Listen, I gotta get going. You're going to the Li Corp. New Year's Eve party tomorrow night?"
"yes, why? are you going?"
"yes, I'll be there. I'll see you then, good-bye Syaoran"
Heather said as she moved in close and hugged him. she separated from him and turned to leave. She hesitated for a while and then turned to face Syaoran once again,
"oh and by the way... I think you should tell her"
She said with a small smile on her face. Before Syaoran could even ask her what she meant, she took off in a light jog. But deep down, he didn't need to ask, he already knew...
~*~To Be Continued~*~
Starrie: *speechless*
Evil Starrie: *blink* *blink*
Starrie: unbelievable
Evil Starrie: we got 14 pages done in less then two weeks when other times it takes us 3 months for 10 measly pages?
Starrie: *nods* *looks at empty coffee cups* ehehehe...I guess I was "fueled" up?
Evil Starrie: *glares* and I had to deal with it!
Starrie: well, at least I got this chapter done pretty quickly!!
Evil Starrie: *smirk* let's see if you can keep it up!
Starrie: *nervous laugh* uhh...yeah sure, whatever you say
Evil Starrie: *sigh* you're impossible
Starrie: hahaha...like I don't know that?
Evil Starrie: anywho, please review everyone! Tell us what you think of this chapter!!
Starrie: yes! Please do!!! *big puppy dog eyes* who knows, i might get the next chapter done soon again! ^-^
***IMPORTANT*** if you want me to keep emailing you about new chapters, make sure you review this chapter cuz i have so many email address and i'm not sure who is still into the fic and who's not. Starting the next chapter, i'll only email those who reviewed this chapter.